Abdullah of Saudi Arabia
Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (Arabic: عبد الله بن عبدالعزيز آل سعود ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al ʿAzīz Āl Saʿūd, Najdi Arabic pronunciation: [ʢæbˈdɑɫ.ɫɐ ben ˈʢæbdæl ʢæˈziːz ʔæːl sæˈʢuːd]; 1 August 1924 – 23 January 2015) was King and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 1 August 2005 until his death in 2015. Prior to his ascension, he was Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia since 13 June 1982. He was the tenth son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of Saudi Arabia.
"Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud" redirects here. For the Saudi governor of the same name, see Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (1931–2015).Abdullah
1 August 2005 – 23 January 2015
2 August 2005
1 January 1996 – 1 August 2005
Fahd
13 June 1982 – 1 August 2005
Fahd bin Abdulaziz
25 April 1975 – 13 June 1982
Fahd bin Abdulaziz
Sultan bin Abdulaziz
1963–2010
1 August 1924
Riyadh, Sultanate of Nejd
23 January 2015 (aged 90)
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
23 January 2015
- Al Anoud Al Fayez (1972–2003; divorced)
- Jawahir bint Ali Hussein
- Aida Fustuq (divorced)
- Munira Al Otaishan
- Munira bint Abdullah Al Al Shaykh
- Tathi bint Mishan al Faisal al Jarba
- Hessa bint Trad Al Shaalan
- (23 or more other wives)
Abdullah was the son of King Abdulaziz and Fahda bint Asi Al Shuraim. His mother was a member of the Al Rashid dynasty, historical rivals of the Al Saud dynasty. Abdullah held important political posts throughout most of his adult life. In 1961 he became mayor of Mecca, his first public office.[1] The following year, he was appointed commander of the Saudi Arabian National Guard, a post he was still holding when he became king. He also served as deputy defense minister and was named crown prince when his half-brother Fahd took the throne in 1982. After King Fahd suffered a serious stroke in 1995, Abdullah became the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia until ascending the throne a decade later.
During his reign, Abdullah maintained close relations with the United States and the United Kingdom and bought billions of dollars worth of defense equipment from both states.[2] He also gave women the right to vote for municipal councils and to compete in the Olympics.[3] Abdullah maintained the status quo when there were waves of protest in the kingdom during the Arab Spring.[4] According to a 2013 BBC report, Saudi Arabia could obtain nuclear weapons at will from Pakistan during Abdullah's reign due to the close relations between the two countries.[5] Abdullah had a longstanding relationship with Pakistan, and brokered a compromise between General Pervez Musharraf and ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif, whom he had requested to be exiled to Saudi Arabia for a 10-year exile following Sharif's ouster in the 1999 Pakistani coup d'état.[6][7]
The three crown princes during Abdullah's reign were among the full brothers of King Fahd. Upon becoming king in 2005, Abdullah appointed his half-brother Sultan bin Abdulaziz as crown prince. When Sultan died in 2011, Sultan's full brother Nayef was named heir to the throne, but Nayef himself died the next year. Abdullah then named Salman bin Abdulaziz as crown prince. According to various reports, Abdullah married up to 30 times and had more than 35 children. He was among the wealthiest royals in the world. Upon his death in 2015 at age 90, he was succeeded by his half-brother Salman.
Early life
Abdullah is said to have been born on 1 August 1924 in Riyadh.[8][9] However, some sources state that this date is incorrect, and that he was approximately eight years older.[10] He was the tenth son of King Abdulaziz.[11][12] His mother, Fahda bint Asi Al Shuraim, was a member of the Al Rashid dynasty, longtime rivals of the Al Saud dynasty.[13] She was descended from the powerful Shammar tribe and was the daughter of former tribe chief Asi bin Shuraim.[14] She died when Abdullah was six years old.[15] Abdullah had two younger full-sisters, Nouf and Seeta,[16] and two maternal half-brothers, Abdulaziz and Mishaal, who were the children of his mother's first marriage to Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Rashid.[17] Madawi Al-Rasheed argues that Abdullah's maternal roots and his earlier experience of a speech impediment led to delay in his rise to higher status among the sons of King Abdulaziz.[18]
Various positions
Abdullah was Commander of the Saudi National Guard from 1963 to 2010. He was Chairman of the Saudi Supreme Economic Council until 2009.[88] He also continued to be the President of the High Council for Petroleum and Minerals, President of the King Abdulaziz Center For National Dialogue, Chairman of the Council of Civil Service, and head of the Military Service Council until his death in 2015.
Wealth
In 2011, the financial magazine Forbes estimated the documentable wealth of King Abdullah and his immediate family at US$21 billion, making him one of the world's richest monarchs.[155] One estimate places his wealth at US$18 billion, making him the third-wealthiest head of state in the world.[156]
King Abdullah was an expert equestrian in his youth. His stables were considered the largest in Saudi Arabia, with over 1,000 horses spread throughout five divisions led by his son Prince Mutaib.[157] The King also owned Janadria Farm, a large complex located in the suburbs of Riyadh.[157]
For holidays, the King maintained a large palace complex with several residential compounds in Casablanca, Morocco.[158] It is equipped with two heliports and is surrounded by large mansions on 133 acres of vegetation.
While still Crown Prince, Abdullah paid for the separation surgery of a pair of Polish conjoined twins, which took place at the King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh on 3 January 2005.[159]
He donated $50 million in cash and $10 million worth of relief materials for the 2008 Sichuan earthquake in China.[160]
He donated $10 billion to the endowment fund of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in May 2008.[161]